Usually I post on Mondays, but it's June 1, and in 1926 the most iconic bombshell to ever live was born, so I thought I would switch things up a bit!

Do you share some favorite things with the inimitable Marilyn Monroe?

Turn on some Louis Armstrong (one of her favorite singers) and pour the bubbly as we celebrate some of her favorite things, along with some incredible (and at times, even eerie) stories.

Italian Food

She spent much of her time at some of the iconic Italian restaurants of the era.

Champagne

I stumbled upon this carbon copy of a receipt in which Marilyn requested 12 splits (quarter the size of a regular bottle) of Piper Heidsieck Champagne to be delivered to Marilyn Monroe at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Bungalow 21. The receipt itself sold for over 1k, by the way.

Emilio Pucci

An Emilio Pucci bag, another one of Marilyn's favorite brands.

Chanel No. 5

The famous perfume associated with Marilyn really was one of her favorites, but there is another. Keep reading...

The performance of themselves celebs like most is very telling. In this case, the role is dramatic, and has a lot of depth... it's almost Hitchcock-level suspense. I love this film. and t is available for free on Netflix if you have it.

Romanoffs

Marilyn Monroe was reportedly fascinated by the chocolate souffle served at this swanky Beverly Hills restaurant (I will definitely be trying that recipe out soon, so stay tuned!), Now defunct, the glittering restaurant was once a haven for Hollywood stars of yesteryear. Pictured here is a party celebrating The Seven Year Itch that was hosted there.

Jean Harlow

Marilyn modeled her image after Jean Harlow, her idol.

Cooking

Again, I thought this might be just a PR stunt by a studio that wanted to present their goddess as somewhat human... until I found out that among her effects sold at a Christie’s sale were cookbooks she'd lovingly written her notes in.

Marlon Brando

Given her love of literature and also her admiration for Marlon Brando, the fact thatA Streetcar Named Desire was one of her favorite plays makes sense.

Marilyn once ordered half a dozen perfume bottles of Rose GeraniumToilet Water to be delivered to the Beverly Hills Hotel (she really liked the Beverly Hills Hotel as well it seems!)

You can't buy the perfume itself anymore, but if you are curious about the scent, you can still get the bath oil. I feel like perfumes are so indicative of personality, so I am curious... I am definitely ordering a bottle!

A famous photo of Marilyn reading Ulysses... was it all staged, or was it really the book really her favorite? I am not sure. But I do believe she loved to read...she had a rather extensive library. If you are curious to see her other favorites, one of her fan club's has compiled a rather extensive list you can view here.

Her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio was well aware of Marilyn's love of roses... so much so, that he staged a rather elaborate token of love that literally continued to her grave, sorta like a P.S. I Love You plot line in reverse. He made sure that twice a week a dozen long-stemmed roses were delivered to her grave at Westwood Memorial Park.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Marilyn's favorite pair of shoes were made by Salvatore Ferragamo. They were featured at an exhibit at the London Design Center.

I love these shoes from the same designer... they seem like something she might have loved!

It is said that Judy's version of "Who Cares?" was Marilyn's favorite song, and that she often played it at high volume.

Here is a snippet of the lyrics:

Who cares if the sky caresTo fall in the sea?Who cares what banks fail in YonkersLong as you've got a kiss that conquers?

Several notes in the spirit of doing the right thing... Marilyn Monroe did NOT endorse any of the products listed here, but based upon my research I do believe she really loved these things. That said, if you buy from any of the links included above rather than going straight to the vendor site from Google or another search engine, I get a portion of your purchase at no cost to you.

love marilyn monroe? we do too! read on for more stories inspired by her.

Recently I have been reading through two different lists of books; one is Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. The other is the work of a random Reddit user who compiled a list of the most notable or revered books from every country in the world.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Here in LA the brisk weather is finally starting to set in. Compared to my home stomping grounds of Salt Lake City that isn't saying much (tonight SLC is at a brisk 27 degrees while DTLA is closer to 60) but considering the almost blistering heat in recent weeks, it is still a drastic departure. And just in time, because street vendors are beginning to pull out their hot ciders and hot chocolates, which doesn't really make sense if it is 80 degrees out.

Marilyn has perhaps the most famous walk of them all. Her shimmy is so iconic that it stands alone as the opening scene from Niagara. If you haven't seen it yet, it is worth watching. It is called the longest walk in cinematic history -- over 116 feet of film, according to a quick Google search.

But how did she make her hips sway in a way that was worth expending that much film on?

Perhaps the answer can be found in her biography Goddess. A couple of stories are repeated that at first glance could appear to be nothing more than publicity and hype. But from everything I have read about Marilyn, I'd wager they are true.

You never know. That hitchhiker beckoning to you from the side of the road might just be a famous celebrity.

I just finished reading Goddess by Anthony Summers. In it, he relates a story of Marilyn waiting by the side of a road, trying to hitch a ride from an unsuspecting passerby (there had been a mishap with her scheduling that day). But car after car drove by, not realizing they were passing up the opportunity to meet the immortal Marilyn Monroe.

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